奥别鈥檝别 talked about how scientists need literacy skills in order to be scientists. They can鈥檛 do their jobs without reading, writing, listening, and communicating.
Our recent webinar explored this intersection from a broader level: the power of language in the science classroom.
How can science teachers remove language barriers to make sure all students are able to access prior knowledge鈥攁nd acquire more? And how can teachers leverage language to create optimal learning conditions for their science students? Why should they?
Let鈥檚 find out what webinar co-hosts Eric Cross and Susan Gomez Zwiep, Ph.D., had to say!
Language and science sense-making
Contrary to stereotype, scientists aren鈥檛 just loners in labs. Susan Gomez Zwiep, former middle school science teacher and senior science educator at BSCS Science Learning, credits a colleague with this pearl: 鈥淚f I鈥檓 just doing science myself, and not talking to anybody, that鈥檚 not science. That鈥檚 just me in my head.鈥�
So science teachers need to give students every possible opportunity to get out of their heads. And if language is a barrier鈥攚hether students are learning English, or challenged by science vocab鈥攖eachers can help remove it.
This principle is especially important in the context of phenomena-based learning, says Gomez Zwiep. 鈥淩ather than telling students ideas, and then proving those ideas correct by showing them a phenomenon, we show them the phenomena and engage them in science sense-making to develop that understanding,鈥� she says. 鈥淟anguage is central to science sense-making and communicating that sense-making.鈥�
Students also bring their prior knowledge to scientific sense-making. And, as Gomez Zwiep points out, prior knowledge is often embedded in the language a student uses at home, or just their own non-scientific vernacular. 鈥淚 have to use that when I first engage with the phenomenon,鈥� she says. 鈥淥therwise, I’m limiting the resources that kids bring to the learning environment.鈥�
Language in a 鈥渟afe鈥� science classroom
鈥淚f I had to learn science in my second language, I would be struggling with not only everyday vocabulary, but also content-specific vocabulary,鈥� says Eric Cross, host of Amplify鈥檚 Science Connections podcast. 鈥淵ou would never actually know what I knew or what I was bringing to the table.鈥�
The goal is to create an environment where students feel comfortable exploring, using whatever language is accessible to them, and then guiding them to conclusions鈥攁nd precise scientific language. 鈥淎 classroom requires trust. It requires relationship building,鈥� says Gomez Zwiep. 鈥淚f a student is worried about saying something a particular way, that鈥檚 where all their cognitive energy is going instead of actually talking about the science.鈥�
The key? Put scientific ideas first, and the language will come. 鈥淲e used to wait until kids had English in order to learn science. And now we’re starting to see that language emerges from learning experiences,鈥� says Gomez Zwiep. 鈥淪o it’s a product of learning, not a prerequisite.鈥�
Literacy in your science classroom
You can integrate science and literacy right away, starting with .
Explore more:
Science blogs
- “Science or literacy instruction? You don鈥檛 have to choose!鈥�
- “Instructional strategies for integrating literacy into your science classroom鈥�
Science Connections podcast episodes
- S3, E2: How science strengthens literacy and language development
- S3, E3: Instructional strategies for integrating science and literacy
